Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 in the Champions League at Camp Nou on Tuesday. Before kick-off, the traditional tournament anthem was replaced by a minute of silence for Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel, and Raphinha said after the match that the death made it incredibly difficult for him to focus on football.
Match and standings
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring against Aston Villa, and Raphinha scored twice.
The win lifted Barcelona to 9 points in the standings and gave the team its first Champions League clean sheet in 18 matches.
Events after de Miguel's death
Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel died on Monday at the age of 30.
GOAL reported that Jesus de Miguel suffered a cardiac arrest following an on-pitch collision with Real Oviedo goalkeeper Jesus Owono.
Champions League matches proceeded as scheduled. GOAL reported that the Royal Spanish Football Federation postponed all domestic fixtures for three days.
Raphinha's comments
Speaking to Movistar after the final whistle, Raphinha said: "Wherever is, I hope he finds his way."
He added: "I want to send his family strength ... and today, not talk about football."
Raphinha also said: "After I saw the news, I didn't feel good. In the end, he was a fellow football player. This could have happened to any of us. It could have happened to me."
He said: "It's very difficult to go out and play a game in these circumstances. He was a player who was the same age as me. Maybe that's why it affected me so much."
Raphinha's brace against Aston Villa took his season tally to 19 goals across all competitions.
Flick on Raphinha
Hansi Flick said: "What happened in Tenerife, I think it affected him a lot, like everyone of us. Our deepest condolences to the family, the club, the friends, everyone ... it's a big tragedy. I think it's affected him a lot."
GOAL reported that Barcelona play away at Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
